Cloaked in Courage
by Mr.Monreau
Summary: After 100 years of slumber, the Legendary Hero of Hyrule wakes up in a place that is decidedly…not Hyrule. Without a memory in his mind, Link must learn how to survive a world filled with beings whose powers rival those of the Triforce; all while trying to find his way back home.
1. Awakening

Cloaked in Courage (Legend of Zelda: BOTW/Young Justice)

After 100 years of slumber, the Legendary Hero of Hyrule wakes up in a place that is decidedly…not Hyrule. Without a memory in his mind, Link must learn how to survive a world filled with beings whose powers rival those of the Triforce; all while trying to find his way back home.

A/N: This piece of fiction was completely inspired by these two wonderful pieces of art. Let me know what you think!

Awakening - July 4th, 2010

 _ **Open your eyes...**_

A boy, clothed in only a pair of brightly colored blue shorts, shuddered to life on the floor of an unknown alley. Breathing came first, slow and shallow breaths. Feeling followed soon after, the grit and grime of the city street scratching against his skin. The boy shivered, suddenly aware of the chill that clung tightly to air. He curled his knees close, the smallest part of him wishing he could go back to sleep.

 _ **Wake up...**_

Blue eyes shot open with frantic alarm. That voice, the boy knew that voice. It was desperate, decadent, hopeful, and hurting all in one elegant tone. It burned quietly at first, barely a candle in the blackness that was his mind. But as the words echoed against the inside of his skull, the voice burned brighter and brighter and brighter until it was the only thing he could think about. It felt as if his head would go up in flames, pop like a balloon over a campfire. However, as quickly as it came, it vanished.

He knew that voice. He _knew_ that voice.

Well, he thought he did, at least. The boy racked his brain for details. For any sort of answer or memory or clue as to what had happened to him. He couldn't find anything. He wasn't sure he knew much of anything anymore.

He didn't even know where he was. His surroundings were foreign to him. Buildings stretched upward and pierced the sky like the mountains of brick and mortar. Lights burned brightly everywhere, but the boy couldn't spy a source for the formless fire. The air carried with it the stench of sweating bodies, bleeding bodies, and working bodies all packed to tightly together. Sounds washed over him like a storm, and his pointed ears twitched furiously as a cacophony of voices thundered against him.

The boy attempted to stand, to find some solace away from the sound and the lights and the sights. He closed his eyes, covered his ears, and tried to run to anywhere that wasn't here.

Here, however, always proves a very hard place to get away from, especially if one is running blind and deaf into darkness.

Feet catching an uneven slate of street, the boy tumbled headfirst towards the ground. The skin of his brow split open, and a stream of scarlet began to slide down his tanned skin. Pain and blood, now those were familiar to the boy. Even in this unknown place, he felt an almost sad sort of kinship with the welling sliver of red that splayed across his forehead. Blurry images of bodies facing some sort of glowing, spider-like machine sprang to life in his mind, but the boy forced his thoughts past it.

Focusing on the pain, the boy opened his eyes and found himself staring back at him. A puddle of water, clear as could be expected in a city, had carved itself a neat little home in the brick of the street. Vibrant blue eyes looked back up at him, and the boy got his first real look at himself.

A young, pointed face. Noble features, but bearing a look of persistence and stubbornness to them. Sandy blonde hair cut in a style that, for some reason, brought him a small sense of pride. Knife-like ears which jutted outward from his head, each one bearing a light blue earring.

His mother had given him those earrings as a coming of age gift. Happy tears had streamed down her face when he put them on. She said that I looked just like my father.

Pain stabbed into the boy again, but this time the hurt came from within. Tears welled in his eyes.

Oh god, where are my parents? Why aren't they here? Why am I alone?

Questions raced through his mind, and the boy felt his chest tighten. His breathing turned shallow again, and that quiet, terrified part of his mind begged to retreat back into the safety of slumber. His body shivered, though whether it was from the cold or from his uncertainty he could not tell. Fist pounding into the hard ground, he bloodied his fists in frustration and confusion. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see his parents. He wanted to be far from this strange place with its blaring lights and booming sounds. This place was strange, and new, and wild in ways the boy could not fathom.

 _ **Link...**_

The voice called again. Calming, desperate, and most importantly, familiar, that voice demanded his attention. Something about it forced him to focus, to push past his doubts and gather himself He waited to hear it speak again, to hear it and have it explain what had happened to him. To give him the answers he needed.

He waited for the voice to return. He waited, and waited, and waited, but that warm and starving voice did not beckon him forth from the depths of his mind again. Confusion again rolled slowly across his being, but it was softened this time. That last word it said, it stuck with him. It made him feel...safe. Whole, almost. It seemed to summon up a sense of Courage in the boy. Courage which fought against his confusion and his despair.

"Link," the boy said, quietly to himself. He played with the word, feeling how the sounds and syllables rolled off his tongue.

"Link!" he said again, this time a little louder. The word bounced off the alley walls, fighting against the legion of sound that had once threatened to swallow him. Despite the circumstances, a smile, bright and white, crept out from the corner of his mouth. The motion felt good on his face, so the boy's grin turned toothier and he smiled a bit wider.

" **LINK!** " he called out to the city, head craning upward and feeling joy for the first time since he awoke in this grimy alleyway. He stood up, slow at first, but steadily gaining confidence in his footing. He felt proud and full of fire as the words slipped free of his lips. Confidence warmed his bones, and defiance crackled down his veins. This strange and dark city would not conquer him, because he was not one to be conquered. He may have been lost, alone, and without memory, but he had a word. His word.

His name. His name was Link, and he was unafraid.

"Kid, I don't know why you think you can go down Crime Alley, nearly-buckass naked and yelling random shit, but frankly, I don't care. You're in the wrong neighborhood, and you pissed the wrong guy off."

The boy didn't know what the words meant, but the meaty hand which clamped on his shoulder sent a clear message. Link was spun around, and his eyes were met with the sight of an large, angry looking bearded man pointing a knife at him. His eyes wrathful and his yellowed teeth gritted, the man shoved Link into wall of the alley. He approached slowly, his mouth twisting into a grin as he tossed the shining weapon from hand to hand.

His name was Link, and he was mostly unafraid.


	2. Awakening pt 2

A/N: Thank you all so much for the warm response to story! It really means a lot. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Also, sorry it's a bit short, but its finals week and I'm stressed as all get out. I plan on updating every other day, and hopefully I'll be able to stick to that schedule.

 **Awakening pt. 2 - July 4th, 2010**

 _Thump-thump_

One heartbeat, and adrenaline was already flooding Link's veins. It crashed cold throughout his being, and the boy responded out of instinct. Vision sharpening, breathing slowing, and his mind turning as steely as the knife which inched towards to his throat; time seemed to slow to a creep as his body prepared for battle.

 _Thump-thump_

Two heartbeats. Link's muscles twitched and burned with anticipation. Muscle-memory shifted his footing into a fighting stance, his hand already moving to intercept the man's attack. Skin slamming into skin, the boy leaned back to ensure that the knife didn't clip his neck. He guided the other man's blade away from the fight, and countered with a swift jab to the windpipe.

 _Thump-thump_

At three heartbeats, the boy pressed his advantage. His attacker was dazed and gasping for air, and Link used the brief moment to shift behind the man. He grabbed at his opponents knife arm, twisting it backward until it was taught. He raised an open palm, placed where the blow would land, and struck with as much force as he could muster.

A sickening crunch filled the heavy air, and the man crumpled to the ground. Pained whines escaped his lips every so often, but he made no move against Link. He didn't much at all, really. Broken bones have an odd tendency of slowing people down.

Bending down to pick up the fallen knife, Link's previously steady breath returned to its once ragged state. He had no idea where any of that came from. His body moved without his knowledge, preserving itself technique that begot years of training. Even now, as the boy held the knife, he could feel his hand shift into what must have been the best striking position for weapon. Link was getting tired of all the mystery and surprise that today brought.

"What the hell are you?"

Link turned his head down towards the man again. He knew the sounds that he was making were probably words, but he couldn't piece together what he meant. The boy crouched low, taking a long look at the person who attacked him. He had a feeling that language wasn't the only difference between himself and the people who live…wherever he was now.

"G-get away from me!"

The man tried to crawl away from Link, grunting as every inch he moved agonized his arm. A small twinge of guilt hit the boy for causing the man that much pain. He was in a foreign place, and for all he knew 'knife to the face' was how people around here greeted each other. Link sighed, running a now-slightly-shaking free hand through his hair, and stopped walking towards his attacker. Regardless of the man's intent, the boy felt as if he shouldn't escalate the situation any further.

Walking out of the alley, Link got his first full sight of the city in which he found himself. Buildings soared like mountains, beetle-like metal monstrosities tore across streets with reckless aggression, and even as the night sky soared above, masses of tightly packed bodies marched to the beat of an unknown drummer as they hurried to their respective destinations.

It was the vastness, and the crowdedness, of the city that hit him first. Link couldn't fathom where to go in the wide expanse of this stone wilderness, nor who would even want to help him.

He felt paralyzed. Link couldn't even speak the language, and worse, he didn't know how anyone would be able to help him. It was his memory that was the issue. Link wasn't sure there was anyone who could reach into his mind and force it to mend.

He stood there for a little while, just watching the city move. That feeling of freezing, of not knowing where to move, kept him in place. But as the seconds ticked by, he could feel his resolve begin to return to him. All he had was his name and a blade, but somewhere, deep in the recesses of his being, Link knew that was all he needed.

One step out onto the sidewalk, and Link entered the wilderness that was Gotham City.


End file.
